


Waking Up Underwater

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Tumblr prompt fics [32]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Gwaine (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Protective Elyan (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Gwaine wakes up in the Lake of Avalon after his death
Relationships: Elyan & Gwaine (Merlin)
Series: Tumblr prompt fics [32]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922554
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Waking Up Underwater

The world felt different when Gwaine awoke. He wasn't in excruciating pain, for one thing. In fact, it kind of felt like he was floating. And not like how it sometimes felt when he was drunk or injured and Percival was carrying him. It was softer than that, with no shoulders digging into his stomach or hands squeezing his arms just a little bit too tight despite his best attempt to be gentle. Maybe it was just the absence of pain making him feel this way, or Gaius could have given him something to help heal him.

He opened his eyes, expecting Merlin or Percival to be beside him. He was not expecting Elyan and Lancelot.

"Where am I?" He demanded. This couldn't be real, it had to be one of Morgana's tricks. Because Elyan and Lancelot were dead. The nathair could be used to show people their greatest fears, so of course Gwaine was shown two people he cared for that he'd failed to protect.

"What, no hello?" Elyan teased him. It was strange that his nightmare was smiling and seemed by and large okay. Not bleeding out or otherwise hurt or in pain. He figured that would be a more effective nightmare.

"You're in the Lake of Avalon," Lancelot informed him. "It's a little confusing at first, trust me, I've woken up here twice, so I get it, but you'll get used to it."

"Avalon, realm of the fairies?" Gwaine asked. He vaguely remembered that from one of the bedtime stories his mother used to read to him as a child. Despite the reservations he still had about any of this being real, he let Elyan and Lancelot help him sit up. Their hands on his skin felt real enough though.

"Yup," Elyan agreed. "There aren't any fairies here though; just us and Freya."

"Freya?"

"The Lady of the Lake. She's nice," Lancelot informed him. Gwaine rubbed his eyes. He had the feeling that he was missing something important.

"Wait, am I dead?"

Elyan winced. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"Oh." That wasn't the thing he was forgetting though, because somehow he'd already known that. He… he remembered dying. Pain and Percival's hands on his face and the horrible feeling of failure. "Arthur!" He shouted suddenly. "I told Morgana where he was going, is he, is he okay, what happened I failed I-"

"Calm down, Gwaine, it's okay," Elyan said, squeezing his shoulder. "Or well, it's not okay, but it was prophesied."

"Arthur is here," Lancelot explained when the newly arrived knight just gave him a blank stare. "In Avalon. But he'll be reborn again, as will all of us, when Albion's need is greatest."

"He's dead? I- I- I- failed, I let Morgana-" Gwaine stuttered. His worst nightmare was coming true and it wasn't a hallucination.

"You didn't fail," Elyan said firmly. "No one can withstand the nathair for long. I didn't either, remember? You did not fail, Gwaine. No one here or in Camelot blames you." He pulled the knight into a hug. "Come on, let's go find Arthur and he can reassure you too." Gwaine wasn't quite sure that was what he wanted, but he trusted his friends, so he let Lancelot and Elyan help him to his feet and guide him over towards their once and future king.   



End file.
